


Just Like All the Others

by WithTheKeyIsKing



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Dark, Dark Albus Dumbledore, Dumbledore Has a God Complex, Emotional Manipulation, Extremely Dubious Consent, It Gets Lighter after the first chapter, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Non-Explicit, Protective Remus Lupin, Protective Severus Snape, Sexual Coercion, Tom is of course still a psychopath, Unreliable Narrator, but even he doesnt deserve this, except for Tom, no one does, rated mature for the darkness, these poor kids just wanna learn magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-10-07 02:52:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17357564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithTheKeyIsKing/pseuds/WithTheKeyIsKing
Summary: Albus is good at recognizing specific traits in his students that will make them more likely to...see his point of view, as it were. Sometimes, as in the case of Tom Riddle, it backfires on him. But often, it goes off without a hitch.Of course, not everything can end perfectly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a dark little story that rattled around in my head and demanded to be put on paper.
> 
> I wrote more, where all of Albus' victims band together and solve the issue, with Remus and Severus being all protective and badass, but after the darkness that this was, I wasn't sure if that flowed well. Let me know if you think I should post it anyway, and I'll post it as a second chapter.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy.

The misleading thing about Tom was that it started the way all of Albus' others did.

Need for approval, need for validation, determination to become the best, determination to rise above the shitty hand life dealtit was the reason Albus chose Tom in the first place. It was the reason Albus chose  _all_ of them.

And so, like all the ones that came before Tom and all the ones that came after, Albus played to those feelings. Because he could see the greatness inside. He just wanted to...steer that greatness in the right direction.

The right direction, obviously, being Albus' side.

For the greater good, of course.

All of these special children, like Tom, just needed a little... _guidance._ So Albus played to those feelings, the ones these kids who needed _him_ all had.

He offered the orphan boy a figure who would take care of him, offered the boy with a desire to belong a home at Hogwarts, offered the poor boy money he needed for clothes and books, offered the boy with the desire to be the best all the training he needed, offered the boy determined to rise above his station the attention of a famous wizard.

Albus did all of that.  _For_ Tom. Just like it was for all the others.

He did all of that, and asked so very little in return. Just a show of loyalty, of understanding their position, of gratefulness, of the ability to follow orders, of the ability to keep a  _secret._

It never had anything to do with the gorgeous sight of the young, naked body in front of him, all his to do what he wished as the boy attempted to prove he was worth all the attention the great Albus Dumbledore showed him.

The  _misleading_ thing about Tom was that it  _started_ the way all of Albus' others did.

He had all those issues, he sought Albus' approval like a lifeline, he was desperate to remain at Hogwartsbut there was something in Tom's eyes, as the twelve-year-old laid back on the bed, that went against the stereotype of the lonely orphan boy who only wanted to show his mentor that he wasn't a waste of time, show his mentor that he was grateful for everything he'd been given.

There was something in Tom's eyes thatas Albus was pushing ingave the teacher the feeling that he was being  _laughed_ at.

Through the years, that look in Tom's eyes never changed.

And by the fourth time he had that perfect boy underneath him, Albus realized what that look meant:  _I see you. I know what you're doing._

That should've been Albus' signal to stop. Tom was clearly outside of his control, which Albus should have realized from the first moment he met the young wizardmanipulating his fellow orphans, complete lack of guilt over bad actions, talking to snakes...it had given Albus a bad feeling, and yet he'd thought he could guide the young Tom Riddle towards a better path, the same way he guided so many other students.

That moment of realization should've told him to end it. That Tom was a liability now, past his help. Might even share Albus' unique _teaching_ methods with other people.

But he was just. So.  _Perfect._

And if something went wrong? Well. _Obliviate_ was invented for a reason.

Tom was fifteen when Albus gave him the pendant, the same pendant he gave all of them. The symbol of the Deathly Hallows in Onyx, pressed into a golden circle like a coin.

He said what he always said, talked about honor, talked about this being a sign of his belief and faith in the boy, talked about how they'd do great things one day.

It was almost verbatim, at this point.

And Tom looked at the pendant, looked up at him, and his lips twitched in something resembling amusement.

Then he put it on. And every time Albus saw him after that, the boy was wearing it.

Even when he turned Tom down for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor job, many years later, Albus saw that the younger wizard still had it on.

And it turned out that Albus had been right beforesomething did go wrong.

It just wasn't Tom telling people their little secret.

It was the beginning of a new Dark Lord.

Albus was a bit more careful about his choices from then on.

* * *

Normally, Albus tried to avoid having two children in the same year.

It left for too much chance of discussion, too much chance of them running into each other and  _something_ making them realize they weren't the only one.

But Severus and Remus...

Well, they both _needed_ him. And he couldn't just let them down.

Remus was so alone in his secret, and Albus was ever so good at listening. He made sure Remus understood how important it was that no one found out about his werewolf side, made sure Remus understood how  _grateful_ he should be that Albus was allowing the boy attend Hogwarts at all.

The boy was so afraid, and just wanted someone to accept him. He  _wanted_ to prove he was worthy of Albus making an exception for him, prove that he could be obedient and not a feral beast.

And he did  _wonderfully._

Albus made sure to say that over and over again, often enough that Remusjust like all the ones who came before him and all the ones that came afterinitiated their acts sometimes.

The sight of that boy sinking willingly to his knees, hope in his eyes and his hands shaking...

_Well._

It was perfect. And he made sure to tell the boy that.

Then there was Severus, so alone, so angry at the world, so afraid that he'd been alone and abandoned by the only friend he had. Albus offered the boy everything he offered all the rest. And Severus was so  _desperate_ for love and affection, just like all the other abandoned children Albus helped.

Severus was the easiest Albus had had in a long while.

And when both boys were fifteen, he gave them the pendants and said what he always said.

Remus looked so tired. He always looked so tired. But he took the gift with a smile and didn't complain when Albus laid him down.

Severus, recently pushed away by Lily Evans and even angrier at the world than ever before, took the gift with a ferocious baring of his teeth and cried when Albus got on top of him.

They both followed the path of all  _(but one)_ of his others, and became great wizards. Remus was a star in the Order, Severus became his spy.

And when they both came to work at Hogwarts, neither of them wore the pendant, but he  _knew_ they both still had it.

* * *

After the werewolf and the Death Eater, Albus followed his old rule and didn't meet with two students in the same year.

All until Harry and Draco.

Harry was a no brainer. Albus knew from the  _moment_ he saw The Boy Who Lived that this child would be his.

Need for approval, need for validation, determination to become the best, determination to rise above the shitty hand life dealhe fit them all to a _T._

He reminded Albus of  _Tom,_ actually. But where Tom always seemed to have a deeper understanding of what was going on, there was something ever so _innocent_ in Harry.

It was delicious, Harry's complete and utter faith in him. The boy never questioned him, even if he sometimes looked confused.

He didn't question Albus pulling him onto his lap, just turned twelve. He didn't question Albus rubbing his ass as they stood looking at something on Albus' desk. He didn't question Albus' reasoning when he started divesting the boy of his clothes.

This boy was going to be the ultimate weapon for the light one day, and having that  _ultimate_ trust in Albus was essential.

It had  _nothing_ to do with how gorgeous the small body looked splayed out underneath him.

When it came to  _Draco,_ well, the other boy was so different.

Arrogant, sure of his place in the world, sure of his father's ability to get him out of anything, sure of his  _betterness_ above his peers. Where Harry was shy and hesitant until he was needed by his friends, Draco was cocky and disdainful of everyone around him, even his teachers.

But at his core, Draco was just like all of Albus' othersa lonely little boy desperate for someone's approval.

Lucius Malfoy  _certainly_ wasn't giving Draco an excess of affection.

But Albus could.

Albus could be there for the boy, could be patient and kind, could listen to the boy's complaints and not shout at him to man up, could offer the boy an alternative path to the one that seemed so surely laid out in front of him.

Draco was so  _desperate_ to be proven wrong about himself, and the boy wasn't even completely aware of it.

Well, Albus could prove Draco wrong. He could show the boy his true self.

It wouldn't even cost him all that much; just obedience and a willingness to be completely bare with Albus, both emotionally...and physically.

And Dracobold and determinedmet every challenge with anxious daring.

Fifteen years old, Harry took the pendant with a beaming smile that didn't fade for a day. Draco took it with a sneer that lasted just as long, but the look in his eyes as Albus spoke the words he always said told a completely different storyDraco latched onto the pendant like his last lifeline.

Neither of them ever took it off.

And the ones that came after them went the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I've got a bit more follow-up (lighter-ish) stuff if you guys are interested.
> 
> As it's just hit Thursday a couple minutes ago, I hope you had a nice Wednesday, my dudes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So generally people seemed interested in more of this story, and since I already had a couple thousand words written, I thought what the hell, here ya go. There will be 3 chapters in this story (possibly 4, that's to be seen), and then it'll all be complete.

Harry grunted as he set the box down, a quiet  _thud_ accompanying him.

Across the room, Sirius sent him an amused smile, which Harry couldn't help but return. He'd come so close to losing his godfather just a few months ago to the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, and since then he'd done just about anything to stay at the animagus' sideincluding clearing out the last couple rooms at 12 Grimmauld Place.

They were both covered in dust and Harry's muscles were definitely sore, but he hadn't felt this happy in a while.

Sirius' gaze lowered slightly, and he tilted his head in curiosity, making his way towards his godson. "What's that, kid?"

Harry frowned and glanced down, and felt the blood drain from his face when he realized that his pendant had slipped out from under his t-shirt in all the movement.

"Ah, it's nothing, just something I found," Harry stuttered out an excuse, standing up. He began to tuck the pendant away again but Sirius got to him first, taking the object in his hands and looking at it with a curious eye.

"Pretty cool little trinket," he observes, sending Harry a quick little grin. "Not something I'd ever get caught  _dead_ wearing, but to each his own."

Harry laughed a little awkwardly and took a small step back, reaching out to take the pendant back, the chain straining against his neck.

Sirius squinted at it. "There's something familiar about this symbol. I  _swear_ I've seen it somewhere..." His face scrunched up in annoyance at himself, and then movement in the hall caught his eye. "Moony!" he shouted.

Remus peaked into the room, raising his eyebrows at his friend. "What're you up to, Sirius?" he asked with a fond sigh, noticing the animagus' body language in relation to Harry.

"Nothing bad!" Sirius scoffed in an overly-offended tone. "I just can't place this symbol, but I _swear_ I've seen ityou recognize it?"

Remus, with the air of someone used to obliging Sirius, sent Harry an apologetic look and then glanced down to the object in Sirius' hand.

As soon as his eyes landed on the pendant, Remus stilled. His eyes widened for a moment, his lips parting. He looked up at Harry, meeting the teen's gaze, and then there was only one thought in Harry's mind:

_He knows._

"Remus," Harry said weakly, a plea and an apology and an excuse and he had no idea what else to say.

The werewolf didn't wait to hear whatever else Harry could come up with; he turned quickly on his heels, striding from the room. Harry shouted his name again, jerking out of Sirius' light hold, and took off quickly after him. He heard Sirius shout  _his_ name, and chase after  _him,_ but Harry didn't pay it any attention.

Remus didn't pay Sirius any attention, either, and nor did he listen to Harry shouting. He couldn't get the sight out of his mind, that necklace he knew so well hanging around Harry's neck.

The  _fury_ he was feeling, the utter  _helplessness_ he would  _not_ leave Harry is this situation. He'd take the entire Order down before he let Albus Dumbledore lay one more hand on Harry Potter.

He got to the kitchen in record time. The people inside all glanced to him, various smiles and greetings being sent his way. Albus was standing by the stove, talking to Molly Weasley as she cooked something in a large pot.

The elder wizard smiled at Remus, that familiar twinkle in his eyes. "Ah, Remus! Good to see you, my boy. How-"

Remus strode up to Dumbledore and decked his squarely across the jaw.

There were surprised shouts, and Remus heard someone shriek his name, and then Sirius and Arthur Weasley were holding onto him; they needn't've worried, Remus wasn't going to attack again.

The werewolf locked eyes with the shocked gaze of Albus. Very calmly, as Sirius and Arthur hesitantly let go of him, Remus said, "If you _ever_ do it again, I will cut it off. Do you understand me?"

He could see in Albus' eyes that the older man did.  _If you ever touch Harry again, I will cut off your penis._

Remus nodded sharply. "Good." He turned around quickly, striding again for the door. As he passed Harry, a look of horror on the boy's face, Remus grabbed a firm hold of his shoulder and pulled him along with him.

As they left, Remus heard Dumbledore beginning to make excuses;  _"A simple disagreement between Remus and I, a small personal matter. It's nothing to worry about, we are both fine..."_

Remus took Harry to the small study at the back of 12 Grimmauld Place and immediately put up heavy-duty silencing charms around it, ensuring that no one would hear the conversation he was about to have with Harry.

Nausea churned in his stomach. He pushed it down, and gently sat Harry down on the couch.

Harry stared at the floor, his hands rubbing together anxiously. Remus felt a desperate sadness then, a desperate wish that they could go back in time and Remus could stop this from ever happening.

And then Remus had a sudden,  _horrifying_ realizationthis must've been going on while he was teaching at Hogwarts. It had been going on  _right under his nose._ And he hadn't noticed, he hadn't done  _anything._

_Oh, Merlin. Harry, I'm so, so sorry._

"Harry, look at me," Remus said quietly, trying to calm himself. He needed to be steady for the boy.

After a hesitant moment, Harry rose his eyes, looking so terribly  _nervous,_ and met Remus' gaze. The werewolf did his best to give a reassuring smile.

"You're ok, Harry, I'm not  _angry_ with you, alright? You've done absolutely  _nothing_ wrong. Ok?" Harry nodded jerkily, and seemed to calm. Not by much, but it was a start. Remus sighed.

"Alright, I need you to promise me something, Harry. I need you to  _promise_ me that you will _never_ be alone with Dumbledore again." Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Remus stopped him. "No, Harry, listen. What he's doing to you is  _wrong._ I know it feels like you owe him this for all he's done for you, or you want to please him and prove yourselfbut that is _not_ what's going on. He's using you, Harry, and  _god_ I'm so sorry I didn't notice sooner."

Again, Harry started to speak. Again, Remus cut him off. He had to get this all out, or he'd never be able to.

 _"No one_ should ever do what Albus is doing. He has  _no right_ to touch you, or claim you as  _his_ with that necklace. So you need to promise me you'll never be alone with him again, because I need to be absolutely sure that he'll  _never_ get the opportunity to manipulate you again. And-and don't wear that pendant anymore, ok? You don't have to throw it out if you don't want, fuck knows I kept mine, but never wear it. Don't give him any power over you that you have a say in.

"Can you promise me all that? Please, Harry?"

There was a shine of tears in the boy's eyes, and Remus knew the mess of emotions going through his head in that moment.  _Fuck,_ this was such a mess.

Remus slumped in relief when Harry nodded and said, "Yea. Yes, Remus, I promise."

The werewolf pulled the boy into a tight hug, holding onto him like he could somehow piece together their broken psyches in that one moment.

Then Harry pulled back, a peculiar look on his face, and said, "Waitwhat do you mean you kept _yours?"_

The blood drained from Remus' face, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "The reason I knew what this thing was, was because he gave me one when I was fifteen, too. I've never seen another pendant like it in my entire life. It was...too much of a coincidence to think you'd just found one somewhere and decided to wear it. I've...I've been through what you've been through, Harry. And so I speak from  _experience,_ that everything he's filling your head with, they're all  _lies."_

"Sirius recognized it," Harry mumbled. He looked so tired now, so drained. "You don't think..."

Remus shook his head. "No, Harry, don't worry about Siriushis reaction would've been much bigger if he'd  _known_ that necklace. He probably has a vague recollection of spotting it around my neck at school."

Harry nodded, his eyelids drooping. Remus couldn't blame him; this conversation was exhausting. "Right. That's good."

Remus smiled tiredly. "Come on, Harry; how about you go to bed early tonight. We can talk more tomorrow, if you want."

Harry nodded again, and the pair walked upstairs, Harry instantly collapsing into bed. A terrible sadness came over Remus again as he tucked the young boy in, but he kept it to himself; Harry was going through enough without having to handle Remus' mental damage as well.

What a messed up situation.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Remus made his way back downstairs, rolling his neck. He was so exhausted; he contemplated heading to bed as well, pushing any questions he knew he'd get until the morning.

The choice was taken away from him, however, when Severus Snape appeared at the bottom of the stairs and gave him a heavy look, jerking his head to the side in a gesture of  _Follow me._

Briefly, Remus considered ignoring the request/command. But it was just pushing off the inevitable; he'd have to answer questions about punching Dumbledore sooner or later.

Severus led Remus through the winding halls of Grimmauld Place, and the werewolf frowned when they ended up in the kitchen, completely empty of people. The light outside the window was pitch black. Last Remus checked, it hadn't even been eight PM.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, squinting around.

The potions master sent him a look, moving about the kitchen in the familiar motions of making tea. "1:17am. Everyone else has gone to bed." Severus glanced at Remus and snorted, shaking his head. "Lost time, hmm? Tends to happen when you broodily watch a teenager sleep, I'd imagine."

Remus blinked. "Sorry,  _what?"_

Severus rolled his eyes. "I'll give you a time table, then, shall I? You punched Dumbledore around 7:45, dragged the young Mr. Potter off for a _silenced_ conversation directly after, took Potter upstairs to bed around 8, and then you stayed in there with him until I spotted you coming down the stairs. Considering you still look like you haven't slept in a week I'd imagine that you _didn't_ fall asleep, just thought dark thoughts whilst your semi-godson slept until you dragged yourself away."

"I..." Thinking back, Remus realized that it was possible that that happened. Harry laid down and slowly drifted off, and Remus had thought through how fucked up everything was. It was possible he'd sat there for...fuck, five hours. "Huh."

Again, Severus rolled his eyes. The tea finished, and he floated a cup over to Remus, who took the warmth of it gratefully.

"Now," Severus said, leaning against the counter and leveling Remus with an intense stare, "we need to have a discussion."

Remus sighed, a headache coming on. He couldn't find the effort to  _lie_ at the moment. "Look, Severus, what happened is between me and Albus-"

"And Potter as well, apparently," Severus said mildly, the intense look not fading. In the low lighting of the kitchen, his eyes seemed to glow faintly. 

Remus opened his mouth, and closed it. He took a sip of tea, gaining control. "Look-"

Severus interrupted him. "When you told Dumbledore that you were going to cut  _'it'_ off, you were talking about his _cock,_ yes?"

Remus sputtered, choking on a gulp of tea. He stared at Severus with wide eyes, to which the potions master only raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Why would youwhat did youHow did-?" He cleared his throat, an attempt at calming himself. He took a few deep breaths.

The breath went out of his lungs in a rush when Severus held up his hand,  _the_ pendant dangling from his closed fist.

The first thought that went through Remus' head was  _Severus went through my things?_ But then the more likely reality hit, and Remus rushed quickly to the sink, vomiting.

The kitchen fell dead silent after he finished retching. Then, he started to laugh.

His body shook with the force of his laughter, and he slid down the wall, knocking his head back against the cabinet when he was seated on the ground. Severus looked at him like he'd grown a second head as Remus just  _laughed._

"Sorry," Remus gasped, his eyes leaking, "not laughing at  _you,_ or-or what you've been through." His chest was started to hurt with the force of his hysterics. "It's justhe gave us all the same necklace. Just. Oh my god."

Severus stared at him some more, and then he started to laugh as well. Not quick as loudly as Remus, but it was there all the same, and it grew in strength until there were two grown men sitting on the floor of the Black family kitchen, laughing hysterically about their shared childhood sexual abuse.

"Oh yes, we should give him that advice," Severus snorted, "Sir,  _next_ time you fuck a twelve-year-old, be a bit more  _original_ about your ownership gift."

That got them both started again, doubling over, but they seemed to simultaneously get hit by what that really meant, the laughter fading.

"He's been doing it to Harry," Remus said quietly, his smile fading. "I saw the necklace today and I..." He shook his head, worrying at his bottom lip. "I'd always just  _assumed_ it was only me. I punched him before I'd even consciously made the decision to do anything." He looked over at Severus. "You, too then, huh?"

Severus hummed, nodding. "Hate to rain on your  _I'm Special_ parade, Lupin-" the werewolf rolled his eyes, "-but you are most certainly  _not_ the only one." He sighed, leaning his head back. "Do you know the names Robert Spencer, Sebastian Fray, Gareth Abbott, or Jeremiah Scyder?"

Remus frowned, thinking. "Robert graduated our first year, didn't he? And Gareth was a couple years younger than my father; they were friends. I don't know the others. Why?"

"Those four are some of the  _lucky_ Hogwarts students to get  _special_ attention from Dumbledore." Remus gaped. Severus smiled ruefully. "They're not the only ones, I'm sure of it; they're just the only ones I've confirmed."

He took a sip of tea, and then another, and Remus waited silently until Severus continued.

"While I've been working at Hogwarts I've been keeping a close eye, I think I even  _diverted_ his attention once or twice, but I never imagined he'd use Potter in such a way; he's The Boy Who LivedI thought Albus would see it as stupid to attempt anything like that with such a public figure. Then again, I suppose the boy fits the type."

"The type?" Remus asked curiously.

Severus nodded. "Oh, yes. All of us have a few traits in common. I'm really not in the mood to psychoanalyze myself _or_ think harder on my connection to Potterso I think I'll just leave you to ruminate on that for a bit. We can discuss it more another time if you really insist."

Remus wanted to press, but he reminded himself that Severus wasn't holding back just to be an asshole. He let the silence fall. Then, something occurred to him, nausea churning in his gut.

"You um, you said that you... _diverted_ his attention," Remus said quietly. "By that did you mean...?"

"That I let Albus fuck me?" Severus said in a completely even tone, devoid of emotion. He didn't look at Remus. "Yes, yes I did."


End file.
